Space News for July 30, 1999

Deep Space 1 Missed Photo Opportunity with Asteroid

NASA’s advanced Deep Space 1 probe missed its chance to catch pictures of Asteroid Braille when it passed only 10 miles away. The spacecraft’s auto-navigation system lost track of the asteroid’s target at the last minute, and it only caught photos of open space.

ABC News
Astronomy Now
BBC News
CNN Space

Fox News
MSNBC
Space Chronicle
SpaceDaily

Titan Covered by Oily Oceans

Recent photographs from the Keck observatory at Hawaii have revealed oceans of liquid hydrocarbons on Saturn’s moon Titan – including many found on Earth before life developed. When it reaches Saturn in 2004, the Cassini spacecraft will drop a probe onto the surface of Titan to accurately determine the composition of its oceans.

BBC News
Space Chronicle
SpaceDaily

Kazakhstan-Russian Commission Meets to Discuss Launch Problems

A joint commission of Russian and Kazakhstan officials met today to try and iron out their recent problems. After its recent ban of all launches from the Baikonur cosmodrome, the Kazakhstan government has wanted more control and a larger revenue share of Russian space launches.

Fox News

Lunar Eclipse Doesn’t Damage Prospector

Although it was a serious concern to NASA engineers, Lunar Prospector didn’t suffer any damage when it passed into a partial lunar eclipse – away from the Sun’s power to recharge its batteries. Prospector will crash onto the moon’s surface on Saturday in the hope of discovering ice.

SpaceViews